STORRS — Evan Richardson had two assists Wednesday night against Providence and nearly a third in an effort to set up what would have been the game-winning goal.

No UConn player is more creative with time and space than Richardson, who came down the right during a 2-on-1 with a little more than six minutes remaining, drew a defenseman toward him and slid the puck across to Jeff Wight. Friars goalie Jon Gillies made a remarkable stick save on Wight's one-timer, and the game ended as a 2-2 tie.

"Since Christmas, Evan has been a solid player for us," UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh said Friday before UConn practiced in advance of Saturday's rematch at Providence. "He's an offensively gifted player. He does a lot of things you can't teach. They're all instinct and feel. Like that pass he made to Wight, you can't teach that. He sold the shot, had everybody going that way and passed it back. It's like the point guard who always finds that guy on the back door. They see everything and have a different feel for the game."

Richardson, a sophomore, transferred to UConn from Boston College before the season and scored one of the biggest goals in program history against his former team in the Huskies' inaugural Hockey East home game Nov. 5, a 1-0 victory against BC.

In the time since, he's been up and down. Richardson has a team-high three power play goals and a total of four (with five assists for nine points, fifth on the team). He remained home in Nanaimo, British Columbia, coming out of the December break, missing two games while helping his mother recover from a heart attack. He's also been a healthy scratch in six other games.

HARTFORD — Just 2:08 into Wednesday's game against Providence, UConn freshman Jeff Wight crashed through a crowd and forced the puck left to Brent Norris for a goal. The Huskies were flying, soon threatening again, firing pucks at the Friars' fabulous goalie, Jon Gillies.

The game did not continue...

(MIKE ANTHONY)

"I'd like to think I'm becoming more consistent," Richardson said. "It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. I've had some things I needed to correct in my game and some things to improve. But as I've gone, I've found some lines I've clicked with and they've allowed me to become a better player."

Richardson will again skate on an all-Canadian line with Wight and Brent Norris on Saturday, a combination that has been noticeably active and productive the past two games. Wight fed Norris for UConn's first goal Wednesday.

Heading into Friday's games, UConn (8-12-7, 5-6-4) was tied with Northeastern for seventh place in Hockey East. The Friars (16-9-2, 8-6-1) were alone in fourth. The Huskies, looking to finish in the top eight to open the conference tournament at home, are last in Hockey East in scoring at an average of 2.04 goals a game and 10th in power play scoring percentage (12.6 percent).

Richardson is a gifted skater and stickhandler who has more raw scoring potential than most players. He continues to work toward improving defensively and avoiding risks and turnovers.

"It's about not making the pretty play, just the safe play," Richardson said. "That's the kind of team game we're trying to play."

UConn was sloppy in its breakouts and in the neutral zone Wednesday, playing a strong first period but doing a lot of chasing after that. Providence had a 35-25 advantage in shots, 30-13 after the first.

The Richardson-to-Wight play was one of the few scoring opportunities that UConn had after losing leads of 1-0 and 2-1.

“It's just details with Evan,” Cavanaugh said. “He'd be the first to tell you that when he's not playing well it's because he's out of position and he's not moving his feet. Whenever Evan gets in trouble he doesn't move his feet and tries to let his skill take over.

“Have you seen the movie Good Will Hunting? He's Will Hunting. He can solve the math problem, he just doesn't want to do it. I tell him he has to take that step. I push Evan. He'll be as good as he wants to be because he has a lot of things you can't teach. I think he's just scratching the surface of what kind of player he can be.”

Richardson was recruited to Boston College by Cavanaugh, formerly an assistant with the Eagles. He was told by coach Jerry York that he didn't fit into BC's plans after last season, when he had two goals in four games, and was quickly re-recruited by Cavanaugh at UConn.

"When he has the puck, he's really dynamic," captain Ryan Tyson said. "He sees the ice well, can make a lot of plays. But you have ups and downs as a player and he's really come on of late. If he's playing well, that's a big plus for us. We just want him to be physically tough and mentally tough, and he's brought that the last couple of weeks."